British Columbia

18-year-old killed in fire at Vancouver Island home: RCMP

One teenager has died and four people are hurt after a house fire on the Malahat Nation on Vancouver Island.

Teen did not make it out of house after alerting others to fire, police say

A closeup shows the front of a fire truck at night.
A fire at a home on Vancouver Island early Thursday left one young woman dead and four others hurt, according to RCMP. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

One teenager has died and four people are hurt after a house fire on the Malahat Nation on Vancouver Island.

The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. PT on Thursday, according to RCMP. First responders arrived to find the home "completely engulfed," a statement said.

Four residents who escaped were gathered outside. Firefighters found the body of a fifth person after extinguishing the flames.

"An 18-year-old woman, who alerted other residents to the fire, did not make it out of the house," read a statement from RCMP.

The four surviving residents were hospitalized for non-life threatening injuries. The Malahat Nation is west of North Saanich, across the Saanich Inlet.

RCMP is investigating the cause of the fire, but said early indications are that the fire was not criminal. The BC Coroners Service is also investigating.